The
highlight of the day was Ahsan Manzil. Once the European inspired residence of
one of the most influential families in the region, the interior of the palace
has since been converted into a museum while the parks outside are usually
maintained and serve as a popular hangout spot for locals. With the very active
Buriganga River in front, you’d think that the place would somehow stink, but this is not the case. If anything, the ambiance
of the place is somehow scented with an air of history and pride for this young
nation.
The building itself did not appear to be predominantly pink when it was erected for the first time, but yes, nowadays it is somewhat pink. This is, in part, because of the renovation efforts of the government. In fact, most of the historical tidbits displayed inside mainly talk about the rehabilitation of the mansion, in accordance to old photos and journals written by the nobility who once lived there. Before and after pictures of the renovation efforts are also displayed, and the improvements have been awesome so far.
The
place used to be so dilapidated and reminiscent of Silent Hill. Now it’s all pink and popular among locals and tourists alike.
Admission fee is 100 taka for non-SAARC foreigners, while locals get a very good
discounted rate. It is helpful to note that this place is best visited as part
of your Old Dhaka itinerary including the river port, the Star Mosque and the Armenian
Church, as these attractions are just close to one another. A rickshaw could
also take you to Lalbagh Fort.
You
are not allowed to take photos inside the premises, but the lack of security
personnel means that you could get away with it anyway. I was not in the mood for
violating rules and regulations that day so I decided to just immerse myself in
Dhaka’s interesting colonial history. The second floor is also accessible to
visitors, although you have to take the stairs at the back instead of utilizing
the grand stairwell, which has been renovated as well but deemed too unstable
to hold so much weight.
The
interior of the palace is now just a mere shadow of what it once was, and this
is where your imagination would come to play once you see the old photos. You
would probably be spending just as much time outdoors where tourists usually
flock to take selfies as well as photos of the building itself. Expect very
good photos especially when the sun is up. Did I mention that there are very
colorful flowers in front which complement the color of the facade really well?
I
was ambushed by a pair of Bangladeshi youth on my way out, one right after
another. I am usually wary of such spontaneous interactions because most of the
time the parties involved just try to scam me, in general. This was different,
though, as the two young lads seemed to be genuinely curious. You see, Dhaka
does not receive a lot of tourists, and one of them explained to me that
chatting with foreigners is a good method of knowing more about other countries’
customs, given how they themselves could not travel that much due to financial
and visa restrictions.
In
a way, that chat was an eye opener and made me realize how much Manila and
Dhaka are similar in many, many ways. Heck, even this pink palace could be
compared to Malacañang by the Pasig River, what more if the head of state
actually resided here at present! Hungry and now sun-glazed, I excused myself
to leave, but not without asking how to say “Star Mosque” in the vernacular.
That really helped a lot in locating the place even after my failed attempt to just walk
all the way there.
The
streets of Old Dhaka are just as vibrantly chaotic as that of Old Manila. Think
Quiapo and Divisoria and you’d have a clear picture of what I am trying to say
here. Taking a stroll down the roads of Old Dhaka must be the closest thing to a
South Asian leg of the Amazing Race that I would experience in this lifetime. It
was surreal, believe me. I eventually surrendered trying to navigate the area
on my own and commissioned a rickshaw to take me to the mosque, which happened
to be a mere five minute ride away from where we were.
The
Star Mosque is popular not because of its size. Just like the Khan Mohammad
Mridha, this one is really small and located in the middle of a densely populated area. The place is frequented by tourists because they
are usually amused by the starry motif the domes are sporting. You could go inside
as long as it is not prayer time. I no longer did because I did not see the
need for it. One guy approached me and asked to hold both hands with him as if
praying together, which he said is traditional for Islam. And then he walked
away.
Instead
of visiting the Armenian Church, I just decided to drop by Lalbagh Fort
again which was open this time around. The sun has been bitching all day,
though, and the lack of shade in the area was not very inviting. In any case, I
paid the 200 taka admission ticket and went inside, where I was greeted once
again with curiosity and questions as to where I was from. I saw around four
foreigners this time around, but they were all accompanied by locals.
The
fort bore witness to a lot of historic events, mainly bloodshed due to its military
background. Some portions of the original walls are still intact. Again, locals get a huge discount so
this serves primarily as a place for them to chillax or have a date. The vast
area doubles as a park and you can find lots of colorful flowers there. The
sunflowers were impressive, staring at the sun like that like they wanted to go
blind.
The
three main attractions would be the tomb, which is the one figuring
in most camwhore photo-ops. The one to the right appears to be a mosque and has
a separate entrance from the main road. I have no idea what the one to the left
actually is, but I’ve heard rumors that it had a crucial role in the supply of
water back in the day. There are pools all around the place, complete with
fountains back then, I assume. Nowadays, they are just dry and serve as an
option for claiming insurance if you “accidentally” fall into one of them.
By
the way, you could visit the Parliament on your way to or back from Old Dhaka
as it is located halfway if you are staying somewhere near the airport. Due
to security reasons, you would not be able to enter the premises unless you
book in advance and drop around 500 taka. You don’t have to because you could
take a good photo from one of the side streets, which you could do while having
a leisurely stroll preferably late in the afternoon when the sun has lost its
energy for the day.
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